


Santa's Little Helper

by Fire_Bear



Series: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas [15]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Big Brothers, Brotherly Affection, Brothers, Christmas, First Meetings, M/M, Santa's Elves, Santa's grotto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 18:38:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9084826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: Kiku agrees to help Alfred with his Christmas job - only to be put in an elf's outfit and asked to entertain bored children. Being surrounded by children and their parents, one would think Kiku wouldn't be able to meet anyone who would be interested in him...





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is for this prompt: Character A works as a Santa’s helper. Character B has a small sibling/child.
> 
> I named the story this because it was stuck in my head - probably cause of The Simpsons.

“Kiku!” Alfred shouted as he let himself into their dorm room. “I found a job!”

Looking up from where he had been finishing off an assignment, Kiku smiled at Alfred. “That's good. Does it start in time for you to afford Christmas presents?”

“Yup!” Alfred informed him, dumping his bag on the bed. As he removed his coat, he grimaced. “It's just for the Christmas period, though.”

“That's not so bad,” Kiku pointed out. “You _did_ want the extra money for the Christmas presents. And it will look good on your résumé.”

Alfred nodded, grinning again. He dropped down onto his bed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and propping his chin up with his hands. “There's another spot open, you know,” he said, innocently smiling at Kiku.

“No, Alfred,” Kiku sighed. “I want to focus on my college work, I've told you that. And I don't need the extra money.”

“But I told them I'd be able to find someone,” Alfred whined. “Please! I'll-I'll even clean the toilet and-and vacuum and everything! _Please_!” And he clasped his hands together, looking at Kiku with those patented puppy dog eyes.

Sighing, Kiku relented. “All right,” he said. “What do I have to do?”

* * *

If Kiku was the sort of person to glower at people, he'd definitely have glowered at Alfred when he found out what the role was. Or, rather, glowered at Santa. It was probably a good thing he didn't glare at him on their first day, considering he was dressed as an elf and easily visible to the children.

Apparently, Alfred's Christmas job was being the local mall's Santa. According to their new boss, Alfred had been the jolliest man who'd applied for the job. So Alfred was currently wearing a fat suit with the usual red one on top, a hat large enough to cover his blond hair and a fake, white beard. But Kiku felt he had gotten the short end of the stick as he was dressed as an elf, complete with pointed ears and tights. Nobody would recognise Alfred once he'd changed: Kiku had already been greeted by a couple of people he knew. Cosplaying was one thing – having to interact with people like this just made him mortified.

On the plus side, he got to greet all the cute children who were desperate to see Santa. They were absolutely adorable, especially all wrapped up with thick coats and pretty scarves. As they waited, it was Kiku's job to entertain the children. He tried his best, talking to the children about what they'd be doing for the Christmas period and challenging them to name all the reindeer. Their parents or siblings or guardians sometimes spoke to him as well. A few men were unfairly handsome which made his cheeks rosier than they already were.

Alfred had managed to get them shifts together and they ended up doing a couple of hours after their classes were over and weekend afternoons. After two shifts, Kiku soon got the hang of keeping an eye on the queue and who was sitting on Alfred's lap. It began to put him in the Christmas spirit so it was a shame that he had no time to go shopping and was having to rely on the Internet for his presents. He was looking forward to the last of his assignments and winter exams to be over.

One evening, there was only a small queue, two girls and a boy waiting as Santa spoke to a pair of twins. They looked dangerously close to grabbing and pulling the beard and Kiku wondered if he should help or not. If he did, he reasoned that the girls would be up in arms and there would be tears. So Kiku turned back to the queue, smiling down at the small crowd.

“Does anyone here know what you should put out for Santa on Christmas Eve?” Kiku asked them, putting his hands on his hips.

“I do! I do!” shouted a boy that had suddenly appeared. He had messy blond hair and big, blue eyes. Delighted, he was jumping up and down, hand raised, red mittens protecting him from the cold. He had a red scarf with tiny snowflakes sewn at the ends. Both items were bright against the dark blue of his jacket which he'd unzipped and left to flap around as he jumped.

“Peter,” said a stern voice and a hand reached out to grab the boy's hood and pull him back. “He wasn't talking to you.” Kiku looked up to find a young man his own age standing there. His hair was a shade darker than the boy's but was just as messy, if not messier. Bright green eyes were frowning down at the boy. In his other hand, he held a collection of bags from a variety of shops. He wore a dark green, woollen coat which must have been tailored since it fit him so well, flaring at his hips. All in all, the man was the most attractive person Kiku had seen since he'd started working here.

“But I was just answering the question!” Peter protested.

His words jolted Kiku from his astonishment and he quickly smiled down at him, willing his heart to start beating again. “It's okay,” Kiku said. He looked back up at the man who blinked at him. “If he knows the answer, then he can tell me-” Realising he didn't know the man's name, he stopped, giving the man a shy look.

“Arthur,” said the man with a polite smile.

“I'm Peter!” the boy declared. “And you're Cookie. That's such a yummy name!”

Kiku was surprised that the boy knew his name before he remembered the rather large nametag affixed to his chest. Behind Peter, the man covered his face with a hand, evidently embarrassed. “God, Peter... I'm so sorry,” he said to Kiku.

“It's fine,” Kiku assured him. Turning back to the children, Kiku said, “Well, Peter. What do you put out for Santa on Christmas Eve?”

“Milk and cookies! And a carrot for Rudolph!”

“What about the rest of the reindeer?” one of the little girls demanded, frowning.

Peter pouted at that, clearly put out by the question, and turned to his brother. Arthur froze for a second, obviously not expecting all of the children to be staring at him. The adults they were with looked amused and were eyeing him as well, wondering what he would say. When he looked to Kiku, he shrugged, unsure what he would say if Arthur told him to ask the 'elf' instead.

“Well,” said Arthur, “Rudolph can't eat a carrot everywhere – he'd eat too much and get too heavy to fly, even _with_ all the magic. So Santa divides the carrots between them.”

“Yes,” Kiku interjected. “That's exactly right! So, if you want the carrot to go to a particular reindeer, you should leave a little note and Santa will make sure Prancer or Vixen get it.”

“I want mine to go to Donner,” the girl said.

“Donner it is. I'll let Santa know when we go up. But, ah, it seems the next person can go meet Santa. So, come with me, Karen.” And he led the other girl up to Alfred.

Once he'd reached him, Alfred leaned over to Kiku. “Who's the guy at the end?” Even through the beard, Kiku could tell he was smirking.

Trying not to blush, Kiku shrugged a shoulder. “Arthur, apparently,” he murmured. Then he turned to Karen and said, “Merry Christmas, Karen. I'll see you on Christmas Eve.”

“Bye bye, Cookie!” she said, beaming at him.

With a smile and a wave, Kiku returned to the small queue. One of the other elves had taken over entertaining the queue and, since it was still short, Kiku had nothing to do for the moment. However, as he approached, Peter waved him over.

“Cookie!” Peter said as Kiku reached him. “Are there snowmen at the North Pole?”

Confused, Kiku glanced at Arthur for an explanation. “He means _magical_ snowmen,” Arthur explained. “Like...” He paused and sighed, closing his eyes. “Like Olaf from Frozen.”

“Oh!” said Kiku, frantically thinking of something to say besides 'yes'. “Of course there is. The snowmen help us with the heavy lifting.”

Seeing Arthur's amused grin, Kiku became a little breathless and happy enough to burst. So it was a good thing that Peter piped up. “Really?” Turning to Arthur, he tugged at Arthur's coat. “Art, we gotta leave out an extra carrot!”

“I'm sure the snowmen already have their own noses, Pete,” Arthur said.

For a moment, Peter seemed to be stumped. Then he said, “It'll be their spare nose.”

Arthur snorted but nodded at Peter with a fond smile. “Okay. I'll let Mum and Dad know so they can buy enough carrots.”

“Thanks!” Peter exclaimed and, with a brief hug for Arthur, he rushed off.

“Sorry about him,” Arthur said to Kiku now that they were left alone together. “He loves Christmas.”

“It's fine,” Kiku replied. “All the kids that are turning up here are the same. Not that I've had anyone asking me about snowmen...”

“Or about carrots for the other reindeer, mm?”

“Ah, yes...”

They fell silent, watching Peter easily befriending the other children. Some sort of game between them started up, with Peter the one giving out instructions. Kiku felt a little awkward, wishing he could think of something to say, wanting there to be some sort of reason for him to talk to Arthur. He shifted slightly, jingling as he did: he winced at the noise and glanced down at his green outfit. The bright green tights he was wearing were practically a beacon, showing the world how stupid he looked.

“So, did you need the money?”

Arthur's voice made Kiku stiffen for a moment before he looked up at him. “Oh, um,” said Kiku. “I'm really just helping my friend. He's the Santa.”

“Ah,” said Arthur, looking amused. “I thought he looked a little young.”

“But he's jolly, says the boss.”

“As long as he puts a smile on the children's faces, I suppose.”

“Yes.” Kiku paused. “Is Peter your brother, then?”

“Half-brother, yes,” Arthur replied. “My dad... Ah, I mean, we both have the same dad.”

“You do look a lot alike. I thought, perhaps, that he was your son...”

Raising his eyebrows, Arthur looked at Kiku in mild surprise. “I'm only twenty, you know.”

“Oh. Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry.”

“Don't worry about it.” Arthur smiled at him, both amused and fond. It made Kiku melt a little and he had to take a breath to keep himself together. “Our parents are often busy so I usually take Peter everywhere. A lot of people think I'm his father, at one point or another.”

“I'm sorry,” Kiku repeated. “You don't look that old, I assure you.”

“Oh?”

“No,” Kiku said, firmly. “You're-” He broke off, realising that he'd been about to tell Arthur he thought of him as being handsome. “You look very nice.”

Arthur chuckled; the sight and sound was like listening to wind-chimes on a clear summer day. “Thank you. You look good, too, though I expect you look even better in your normal clothes.”

Kiku couldn't stop himself from ducking his head in embarrassment. “Oh,” he said, shyly. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” There was a short pause. “Are you doing anything nice for Christmas, then?”

“Not particularly. I'll be visiting my family on Christmas Day but, other than that, I suppose I'll be dragged to parties by Alfred and my other friends.”

“Hm. Do you go to Carter's College, by any chance?”

“Ah, yes. How did you know?”

“Just a guess. I go there, too. We must be in completely different buildings all the time. Do you know Francis Bonnefoy?”

“He's one of Alfred's friends. I've met him a few times.”

“Well, he's having a Christmas party next weekend, after his last exam. Do you think you'll be there?”

It took Kiku a couple of seconds to realise that Arthur was, in a roundabout way, asking him to the party. At least, he hoped his assumption was correct and that he wasn't just trying to make conversation. “If Alfred is, then I suppose I will be,” Kiku slowly replied, unable to stop himself smiling.

“Hm. Then I'd better turn up as well. Can't leave you with all the crazy people who'll be at that party.”

“Do you usually not go?”

“No,” Arthur replied. He gestured at Peter who was now the only one left waiting for Santa's lap to be free. “I'm usually looking after him or have assignments or tests or things. Besides, I'm not sure I want to end up drunk around Francis and his two best friends – I have no idea what will be drawn on my face when I wake up.”

“They're not that bad,” Kiku said, amused.

“Only to you. They probably like _you_.”

Kiku frowned. “I don't understand.”

Again, Arthur chuckled. “They can be right prats to people when they want to be. Mostly-”

“Arthur!” Peter yelled. Arthur jolted in surprise and he turned to his brother. Kiku turned to look as well, realising that the other elf, one supposedly called Candy was smirking at him. Glancing up at Alfred, Kiku realised that it was Peter's turn now. They both hurried over to him and Arthur took his hand again.

“I'll let you take care of this one,” Candy murmured to Kiku as Arthur fussed over Peter. And, with a swishing of long hair, Candy (whose real name was Eli) turned and wandered off.

Gulping, Kiku turned to Arthur and Peter. “Santa's ready for you now. This way.” And he led them to the bottom of the steps. Arthur stopped at the bottom, smiled gratefully at Kiku, and let go of Peter so the boy could bound up the stairs. As soon as Peter had gone, Arthur turned to Kiku.

“I'm sorry. You're working and here I am, distracting you.”

“It's perfectly fine. Talking to you has been the highlight of my day.”

“Really?” asked Arthur, looking surprised.

“Ah, er, apart from the children, of course,” Kiku hurriedly told him.

“I see. Well-”

“Arthur,” came a deep voice from above them and Kiku realised that Santa Alfred was calling on him. The man looked startled to be spoken to by Santa and glanced between Kiku and Alfred. He was beckoning Arthur, Peter seated on his lap and grinning down at his brother. Hesitantly, Arthur glanced at Kiku, shrugged, and made his way up to Alfred.

Kiku watched as Arthur leaned over to speak quietly to Santa. His face turned red and he shot a glare at his brother. Peter grinned back. Then, looking rather happy, Arthur shook his head, glanced down at Kiku and leaned down to whisper into Alfred's ear. Behind his beard, Alfred grinned. The whole thing made Kiku quite confused and even more so when Peter hopped down from Santa's lap and, instead of heading towards the pile of presents like most children did, he dragged Arthur after him and away from the 'Grotto'. Arthur barely had time to smile shyly and wave at Kiku before he disappeared.

Frowning, he glanced behind him, made sure there was no-one waiting and then climbed the steps to Alfred who was tugging at his beard, obviously uncomfortable with it. “What did Peter ask for?” Kiku asked Alfred.

Glancing up at him, Alfred grinned again. “Apparently, that dude takes care of his brother better than their parents do. Peter wanted to get something for _Arthur_ instead of himself because he wasn't sure he'd gotten anything good enough.”

“Then he got Arthur to come up to tell you?”

“Oh, no. He'd already decided that Arthur needs a 'mummy' of his own so he can be Peter's 'real dad'.” Alfred frowned then, grimacing up at Kiku. “It's quite cute in a sad kind of way...”

“So you called Arthur up to find out if there was anyone he liked?”

At that, Alfred grinned again. “I told him what Peter had said and then asked him if I could help him out in the romance department. And y'know what? He said yes.”

“Oh,” said Kiku, disappointed. Arthur must have just been being friendly when he was speaking to Kiku and talking about the party. No wonder. Who would ever be attracted to a man in an elf costume? “Do you think he'll get the girl? He sounded rather busy.”

“He'll get the _guy_ all right,” Alfred told him. “Because, see, all he wants for Christmas is _you_.”

Kiku stared at Alfred for a moment. “Huh?”

“He asked me to make sure you turn up to Francis's party. And I'm totally gonna drag you there. Gotta make a request for Santa come true. Gonna ask Francis for help, too – he can be my elf.”

Astonished, Kiku merely stared at Alfred, vaguely thinking that Alfred had perhaps borrowed Santa's magic in order to make something like that happen. In fact, he was so shocked that Eli had to shift him out of the way in order to bring up the children that appeared while he was frozen in place. For the rest of his shift, Kiku barely paid attention, wondering just what he should wear to the party.

Not an elf costume, that was for sure.

(It wasn't until he reached the party and greeted Arthur that he realised that he hadn't given Arthur his real name...)

**Author's Note:**

> Just FYI: for the duration of their relationship, Arthur calls Kiku ‘Cookie’. Mostly when they’re alone so they don’t need to explain. (He makes sure to call him Kiku in front of Peter until he’s old enough to know that Santa’s not real and Cookie wasn’t an elf that looked a lot like Kiku but had no other relation to Kiku.)
> 
> Oh, and, about Arthur and Peter - I decided that their dad had an affair. There was a big thing about whether he would divorce Arthur's mum or not but ultimately decided not to (though they now both work so much that Arthur doesn't see much of either of them). Arthur's gotten used to the idea of Peter by now and loves him dearly - especially since Peter's mum died (somehow, not decided on that) and he was brought into the Kirkland family. Now he's rather protective of his brother and, well.


End file.
